Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Nowadays, many medical research projects are funded by private companies. In your opinion, do you think that research should be carried by private companies, individuals or government?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Research projects in medical field can be very useful as there has always been a need to know about new information about the diseases and their newly discovered drugs and treatment plans.

Medical field is a Nobel profession in which the patient's life is saved by the doctors and researching is a need to know about the various treatment of disease, its signs and symptoms seen. during the research process the researcher needs some extra amount of money to make the research happen. The funds are necessary to be given to the researchers to make the research papers and carry out the whole investigations of the patients as well.

The funds for the research can be from various sources depending on the topic of it. The funds that are given by the private companies can be used by the researchers of the related research topic to the company as it can help them find their drug uses, side effects, adverse effects, contraindications, and other drug related information. When the researcher is unemployed and is a student, then the government should provide the funds for the research of the student. If the individual funds are used, the individual person's life will be hampered as they will have to cut down the expenses and do their research. If the topic of research of an individual person is not having any expenses and can be performed by the researcher at home without spending lots of money, then they can carry out an individual funded research work.

So according to my opinion the funding sources might be depending on the topic of the research and the occupation of an individual.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing funding sources, but the development is quite limited. While you mention private companies, government, and individuals, the arguments are somewhat superficial and lack depth. For instance, the explanation of why government should fund students is brief and lacks a broader perspective on the societal benefits of medical research. To improve, you should provide more substantial reasons and specific examples to support your position, rather than simply listing scenarios. The conclusion is also quite weak and does not clearly restate your position in a persuasive manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression between ideas is sometimes disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is basic and occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'If' to start sentences in the third paragraph. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that flows logically into the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety expected at higher levels. You rely on simple phrasing, such as 'extra amount of money' instead of 'financial support' or 'funding'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'Nobel profession' (likely meaning 'noble') and 'researching is a need to know'. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common or idiomatic language. Expanding your range of academic collocations would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'new information about the diseases' (article usage), 'various treatment of disease' (pluralization), and 'the topic of research of an individual person is not having any expenses' (awkward phrasing). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and refining your sentence structure to avoid overly simplistic or repetitive patterns.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.